2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 75 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is steering (46% of complaints); the 2009 and 2011 and 2012 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · 2 new complaints in the last 90 days · latest recall Feb 2020
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 75 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle became difficult to steer. The Electronic Power Steering (EPS) and electronic control unit (ECU) warning lights illuminated. The contact researched the issue and became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V100000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. A dealer was notified of the failure, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000.”Owner report · Steering · Aug 2026
“I have gone to multiple Hyundai dealerships to remedy the open recall on my vehicle. None of them are able to accomplish it due to lack of equipment. My electronic power steering recently failed after multiple attempts to accomplish the recall. The most recent attempt was at the Hundai dealership at Doug's Hyundai, 22130 Hwy 99, Edmonds, WA 98026, in 2026. Previous attempts were at Hyundai dealership at 641 Orange Dr, Vacaville, CA 95687 in 2023, United States and the hyundai dealership near Macon Georgia in 2017.”Owner report · Steering · Apr 2026
“I own a 2010 Hyundai Elantra that has experienced a sudden loss of power steering assist on multiple occasions. When this happens, the steering wheel becomes very difficult to turn, especially when maneuvering at low speeds or parking. The EPS light comes on and stays illuminated. This creates a serious safety hazard, particularly when driving with children or in traffic. I am aware of Hyundai Recall 127 (NHTSA Campaign 15V100000), which addresses the same issue, but my VIN is not included. I am requesting that Hyundai investigate and provide the same repair remedy for vehicles outside the initial recall VIN range that are experiencing identical failures.”Owner report · Electrical System · Apr 2025
Show 7 more owner reports
“ABS Module short circuit, I am aware of the current recall in effect for 2011 Hyundai Elantra's but it should be noted that my vehicle also has the same issue, short circuit causing the ABS motor to run constantly. Issue was discovered by mechanic, I opted to disconnect the ABS module, as replacement is unaffordable. Is there any plan to expand the recall to include my vehicle?”Owner report · Forward Collision Avoidance · Jul 2023
“My dealer alledgely fixed the recall in 2021 along with 2 other recalls. At that time I had no problem with my steering. Now 2 years later my power steering went out in the middle of a turn in a very busy intersection and hasn't worked since. The dealer would not fix because they said my car was out of warranty. Hyundai usa also reviewed and denied me. On their webpage, it does not say anything about a time limit on their recall. It is a recall and not a warranty concern. Below I send 2 pics taken off their webpage. Please help me. Thank you.”Owner report · Steering · Jul 2023
“Turning onto my street and continued two hundred feet to my driveway I had to turn the steering wheel one quarter to the left to keep the car straight on the road. On inspection of the vehicle I noticed the left rear wheel was at an angle. Further inspection showed the suspension had departed.”Owner report · Suspension · Nov 2022
“I received a letter from Hyundai telling me to have the work done, but there are no dealerships in my area willing to schedule me for an appointment. I attempted to use the www.hyundaiUSA.com/Campaign188 website to schedule an appointment based on my zip code. Five dealerships came up. Of those five, two had scheduling greyed out and the other three went to an error screen.”Owner report · Electrical System · Aug 2022
“I bought this vehicle used, just three years ago. It had a little over 100k miles on it. Since purchase date, the car has died at least eight times and I've had to take it in for inspection four times. It has had three different batteries. The service techs have not been able to find anything technically wring with the car: alternator fine, engine fine, batteries fine, no reported power draws... yet I am still continuously finding myself stuck with a dead car. There was a bluetooth system in the vehicle when I bought it, but the second time it died, the service tech removed it in case that was what was drawing out power. However, it had died six times since.”Owner report · Electrical System · Feb 2022
“I was driving this car and the esc light came on and then off again but i feel the steering became hard and still the steering is hard there is a recall for this car for steering problem please let me know is it safe to drive it or not. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).”Owner report · Steering · Sep 2021
“The eps light came on when I was on the highway and the steering wheel got hard, it was not turning, risking to have a fatal accident”Owner report · Steering · Nov 2020
When filing, owners marked a crash in 4 of these complaints and injuries in 5 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Elantra Touring vehicles manufactured December 15, 2009, through May 7, 2012. The affected vehicles have a support bracket attached to the headliner that may become displaced during a side curtain airbag deployment.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will apply adhesive strips to the headliner, free of charge. The recall began on July 28, 2014. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 117.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2007-2010 Elantra and 2009-2011 Elantra Touring vehicles. On February 21, 2020 Hyundai expanded the recall to include 46,425 model year 2007-2008 Entourage and 2007 Santa Fe vehicles. Moisture may enter the Anti-lock Brake (ABS) Module and result in an electrical short.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will install a relay in the vehicle's main junction box to prevent the risk of an ABS short-circuit while the car is turned off, free of charge. The recall began April 2, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 188.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Elantra vehicles manufactured June 1, 2008, to April 30, 2010, and 2009-2010 Elantra Touring vehicles manufactured November 1, 2008, to April 30, 2010. The electronic power steering (EPS) electronic control unit (ECU) may sense a discrepancy in the steering input signals and, as a result, disable the steering power assist.
Remedy: Hyundai will verify the proper operation of the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) and update the EPS control unit, free of charge. The recall began April 14, 2015. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 127.
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007-2008 Entourage, and 2006-2008 Tiburon vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 Accent and Tucson, model year 2007-2010 Elantra, model year 2007-2011 Santa Fe, model year 2008-2009 Veracruz, model year 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, and model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. In September 2013, Hyundai informed the agency that it was adding more vehicles to this campaign, representing an additional 652,512 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 1,712,336. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake transmission shift interlock feature, preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.
How other years compare
Counts are not adjusted for time on the road here - see all Elantra Touring years ranked fairly for the age-adjusted comparison.
Check your exact Elantra Touring by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring reliable?
NHTSA has 75 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring. The most complained-about area is steering (46% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 56,756 miles or less.
Does the 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning structure. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.